Write into the Week: June 7, 2026

“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.”
–Gloria Steinem

Dear Writer,

I hope you’re having a good start to your week. In this newsletter:

• A writing prompt to inspire your creativity.
• Reading and listening recommendations in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
• Publishing, residency, and retreat opportunities available now.
• Join our free Monday and Friday write-ins, and meet our community of writers.

Happy writing this week!

—Elle, Curriculum Specialist & Community Manager

Writer to Writer: Time, Guilt & Hobbies

This week’s quote by Gloria Steinem made me think about guilt—specifically, the guilt so many writers feel when they choose writing over everything else demanding their attention.

The guilt doesn’t usually appear once we’re actually writing. It tends to show up beforehand, when we’re deciding whether to protect an hour for ourselves instead of answering emails, folding laundry, running errands, or attending to the countless responsibilities that make up a life. For many writers, especially those who are not writing professionally, guilt has a way of attaching itself to the creative process.

Why? Well, writing doesn’t always look productive to the outside world. It doesn’t always generate income, especially at first. There may not be an agent waiting for pages, an editor expecting a manuscript, or a deadline other than the one you’ve quietly set for yourself. In a culture that tends to measure value through output and achievement, spending an afternoon writing a story, a poem, or a personal essay can feel strangely difficult to justify. (Even to ourselves!)

But creativity doesn’t need to justify itself. If you feel called to write, that is reason enough.

You do not need a book contract to be a writer. You do not need publication credits, an MFA, an agent, a Substack, or some carefully constructed five-year plan that you likely have little control over. The desire to write is what matters–curiosity and the calling are what matter. 

Writing may be a hobby for some people. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that word, but hobbies do not inherently imply frivolity. We all should stop assuming as much. Hobbies are often the things that make us feel most alive, connected to ourselves, and most capable of bringing energy and joy back into the rest of our lives.

I’ve noticed that writers are often generous about granting this permission to others while withholding it from themselves. We readily encourage friends to paint, garden, learn an instrument, bake elaborate cakes, take dance lessons, or spend hours birdwatching. Yet when it comes to our own creative passions, we suddenly demand a practical justification.

Stop doing that to yourself! Not everything meaningful has to become a career, or can become one immediately. Sometimes the writing is the point.

So, if you find yourself feeling guilty for carving out time to write, consider setting that guilt aside for an hour. The dishes will still be there. The emails can be replied to later. Most responsibilities are more patient than we give them credit for. It’s your turn to be patient with yourself. Remember, your creative self deserves some attention, too.

Writing Prompt: It is June.

“It is June. I am tired of being brave.” —Anne Sexton

It is in fact June. What are you? What are you tired of being? What are you working on being instead?

Write about it. 

Wordy Facts: Amateur

The word amateur comes from the Latin amator, meaning “lover.”

I find that origin both beautiful and a little heartbreaking, because the word has drifted so far from its original meaning. These days, we often use amateur to suggest someone inexperienced, unskilled, or not quite serious. Yet, historically, an amateur was simply someone who pursued something for the love of it.

As I discussed in my Writer to Writer section above, we writers sometimes forget this. In a world obsessed with publication credits, book deals, follower counts, and productivity, it can be easy to feel as though writing only matters if it becomes professional. But most of us began writing long before we ever considered any of those things. We stated writing because we loved stories, words, and making something from nothing.

There’s something worth preserving in that original definition. To be an amateur, in the oldest sense of the word, is to be motivated by affection rather than obligation. I can’t think of a better reason to write!

Listening Recommendations

• From the How to Write for a Living Podcast – “405: He deleted every social media account and built a thriving community anyway (with Seth Werkheiser)” – This episode follows Seth Werkheiser’s long journey through the internet, from early blogging and music marketing to leaving major social platforms behind entirely. He talks about building community without relying on algorithms, what creative people actually need from online spaces, and how reclaiming time from social media can open up new energy for the work itself.
• From The Dialogue Doctor Podcast – “How Authors Are Actually Using AI, Ads, and TikTok Right Now – Write, Wrong, Repeat” – This episode looks at the messy reality of running an author business while still trying to protect the time and focus needed to write. The conversation covers ads, TikTok, pen names, branding, AI tools, and the systems writers are testing to make the business side feel more manageable.

Literary Device of the Week: Repetition

Repetition is exactly what it sounds like: the intentional reuse of a word, phrase, image, idea, or structure to create emphasis and meaning.

Because repetition is such a common part of everyday speech, writers sometimes overlook how powerful it can be when used within intention in a piece of creative writing. A repeated phrase can establish rhythm, reinforce an emotional truth, reveal a character’s fixation, or create a sense of momentum. Think of a person returning to the same memory, asking the same question, or repeating the same promise to themselves. The repetition itself begins to carry meaning and emotional weight.

One of the reasons repetition works so well is that it mirrors the way we actually think. We rarely move through life in a perfectly straight line. We return to the same worries, hopes, memories, and desires over and over again. When used intentionally, repetition can make writing feel both more lyrical and deeply human.

The key is intention. Repetition becomes a literary device when a writer chooses it on purpose, allowing the repeated element to gather weight and significance each time it appears.

Publishing Opportunities: 

• Electric Literature’s Emerging Writers Contenst 2026 – Submissions Open: July 1st. This is Electric Lit’s inaugural  emerging writers contest for both poets and fiction writers. One winner in each genre will receive $1,000, publication in either Recommended Reading (fiction) or The Commuter (poetry), and two weeks at the Writing Downtown residency program in Downtown Las Vegas, started by Plympton and the Writer’s Block bookstore. Second-place winners will receive $250, and third-place winners will receive $100. All fiction finalists will receive a review with feedback from a literary agent. This is a great opportunity! Start prepping your submissions now! Note: Submissions do not open until July 1, 2026. For more details, check out Electric Lit’s Instagram page.
• CRAFT Literary – Submission Window: Open. Seeking submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction and craft essays. CRAFT explores the art of prose, celebrating both emerging and established writers. They focus on the craft of writing and how the elements of craft make a story or essay shine.
• The Third Eye – Submission Window: Open. Seeking prose submissions of all kinds on a rolling basis. Here’s what they say, “We are not limiting contributions to specific themes or topics. Whether it’s a personal essay, opinion piece, short story, or reflection, we encourage you to share what matters most to you, keeping in mind that what you submit resonates with our vision and the spirit of our community.”
• The Ex-Puritan – Submission Window: Open. Seeking submissions of fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, reviews, and experimental/hybrid work. They pay writers per accepted piece! Please checkout their website to see if your writing might be a fit! 

Monday and Friday: Free Group Writing Sessions

Come write with us! Community write-ins are a great way to meet other writers, and carve out space in your calendar for your writing.

Monday: Write Into the Week with Elle

Join me (Elle) for an hour of mindset support, goal setting, community, and dedicated time to write! We’ll meet on Monday at 11 AM Eastern time, at this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83999379617

Friday: Open Write-In

Join the Writers.com staff for a 90-minute writing session each Friday from 11 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern time. We will write together for the first hour. In the last, optional half hour, we’ll share our writing with one another and connect.

To add yourself, join our newsletter using the join box above, and add yourself to the “Friday Write-Ins” list at the bottom of any email. We’ll send you a Zoom link the morning of the call.

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